My Blog

I sometimes find myself standing in front of a painting thinking, “Are we over?”

Artistic Process

A littlelike a relationship that is no longer working, with our art do we need to ask this question? Are there times we have to decide that a painting is not working and move on from it. Or can we persevere in the hope that it will come right in the end. This is another post about artistic process and some thoughts on tenacity vs moving on.

Making Large Moves

I’d like to share a recent experience. I had been working on a painting for about 12 weeks and frankly it was driving me nuts. I have recently begun working in a series so it was not the only piece of work I was concentrating on. I had another 6 pieces also in process which were going well. However, with this piece I really felt like I was getting nowhere. The painting had several versions, none of them particularly feeling satisfying to me. During the course of painting I had made several large moves, but none of them got me out of the frustrating, getting nowhere process I was in. I don’t have photos from all of the various iterations, but here are a few with some of the moves I made.

Early stage

At this stage the piece had an emerging abstract landscape feel. I was aware of needing to do a lot of work to the design as there were quite number of areas I felt required development and resolution. The similar shapes along the top, the large dark that was drawing eye into the centre, too much saturated colour. However there was some good texture building and I felt optimistic of where it was heading at this point.

Next stage

It felt like something interesting was beginning to emerge with more landscape forms although I was not convinced by the inclusion of a horizon line at this early stage as I felt it was constraining me and pushing me in a specific direction quite early on. I next felt the need to move the piece forward more significantly so I did this.

Big move

Increasing Differences

I had at this point decided to take a risk and make a big dramatic change by putting in a large orange shape. It felt different, fresh and something new. I liked the impact of the large shape and felt like I could resolve the design with the similarity of some the smaller blue and darker shapes along the bottom. But, some time later it wasn’t happening. I spent quite some time making alterations to the design wanting to increase the range of difference and contrast in the medium shapes but each move felt like it took me further away from a resolution. .

Big moves

Sanding!

Next I included a large blue shape along the bottom but the darks still felt too similar and disconnected. By this point I was losing patience. I got out the sander and sanded the whole painting back which resulting in some interesting fresh marks and a very smooth board! I rotated the painting and had something new to respond to.

These last two images are my final versions of this piece. As you can see there was a lot more development but nothing that felt like a successful one. By this point I think I was getting completely lost in frustration and feeling increasingly like I was not going to resolve this painting, but would continue going around in circles.

New start

Are we over?

It seemed like a good point to be asking the question am I done with this?

Moving on

I’m all for sticking with things and seeing them through to completion, however I also know there comes a point where the energy invested is just not worth the outcome. I’d reached that point with this board. Time to move on. So, I completely “wrecked” what was there and this is now sitting in a corner of my studio until I have gotten over the break up. I’m not going back to it until I have completely different relationship with it otherwise I think the previously process might reemerge. So, we are officially on a break! I feel like I need to give it some time and space to move on in my process so that it doesn’t feel like returning to something I was struggling with. I think by giving myself enough distance it will feel fresher.

Sharing the learning

Here are some of the things that helped me while I was stuck with this painting.

Definitely not being over invested in any aspect of the work. Several times I made big and risky moves, even thought they didn’t lead to a resolution it helps to feel free to play spontaneously. See my previous post on Falling in Love too early for more on this.

Recognising this is only a painting. Getting into a struggle and a fight with the work is probably getting into a fight with myself as I’m the one doing the painting.

The painting isn’t winning nor am I losing. Holding on to the idea that the experience is one of learning can be self supporting. So I didn’t make a finished piece. I learnt a lot on the journey to where I am now.

Knowing when to take a break and that doing so is not about failure but a recognition of what the most helpful approach right now.

For now I shall continue to use it as a play board – wiping paint on it periodically just make interesting marks and maybe this will be one of those relationships were we do get back together and make it work…….

Play board

Any thoughts – is something that you have experienced as well? What do you do when you get stuck in your art making?

If you’d like to chat to me about art making come and visit me at Art in the Pen in Skipton 10th to 12th of August.

Please do browse the site. You’ll find prints and cards at my Etsy Shop. along with small originals and collages.

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Creativity

You may remember that I have recently completed a 12 week online art development programme (CVP) with Nicholas Wilton, from Art2Life. One of his phrases about painting, and one that has stayed with me is “Don’t fall in love too early”

Too Early to Fall in Love.

What Nick was talking about is the inclination to get attached to parts of our art work in a way that stifles or stops our creativity. If we become overly invested in an idea, an aspect of the work, a corner with some lovely texture, paint marks etc then our creative exploration can be be halted. I notice this in myself. if there is section of a piece I am working that I really like I can get a bit precious and tight not wanting to inadvertently paint over something I love. Then that tightness will often stop me exploring and creating freely. And the work loses energy and can feel unexciting and habitual.

The impetus for this post was this painting. I was working on it a couple of evenings ago. It was very early on in the process that the landscape forms began to emerge. Possibly as early as the second pass so in the photograph it hasn’t had a lot of development and there isn’t a lot of history to it. At this point my inclination was to stay with it pretty much as it stood. This may also have been because it’s one of my first large pieces in this new series and with an exhibition coming at Art in the Pen in August I’m keen to keep on moving forward with pieces.

A day later as I was working on again and taking a moment sitting in front of it thinking what next?

Risk

I was noticing a lack of excitement in the painting and found myself thinking “have I fallen in love too early?” I was aware that it felt like there wasn’t anything new in this piece. So I started asking myself the question “Am I willing to risk what’s there and go in another direction not I knowing where the piece will develop. How can I push this further? What would a risky move look like?

So, I took a risk, not as big as some but I did take some big moves in a new direction. I took my used paper from my palette and pressed it onto the painting in a few places and I also introduced orange as a complementary colour to the blues which I think has resulted in a new feeling in the work, a new energy and vibrancy.

In a long term relationship!

I’m much happier with this piece, in fact we are in a long term relationship! There are a few more adjustments I will make to this before final finishing but the essence of the work is there for me now.

Is this process something that you recognise? How do you deal with this your own art practice?

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We’ll be spending the day together at a lovely venue, The Old House Studio in the middle of open countryside about 3 miles from Glossop.

We will begin with some simple ideas about how to compose abstract paintings, as well as spending half an hour looking at abstract work to get some ideas of why these works are successful.

To loosen up and get us in touch with landscape we will then spend an hour or two sketching and painting outside. The Old House Studio is ideally situated for this as it is overlooking part of the Pennine Way with stunning views up and down the valley. There is a useful terrace outside the main studio where we can assemble with all our gear, making it easy for us to paint outside without having to carry lots of materials with us. The sketches will form a loose reference point for the paintings we will then go on to make. We my even use some of the sketches later as collage materials if that is the direction the work takes.

Having connected to the scenes around us, we will move to beginning our final paintings. For these we will be using wood panels as it allows us greater scope for creating surface texture.

We begin on a gessoed panel with intuitive play. Laying down paint in a free and spontaneous fashion to both cover the surface and provide an initial jumping off point into a more finished composition.

Finished with play, we will begin to bring intention into the composition creating landscape forms and shapes. I will be demonstrating how I make decisions in my painting and sharing my thinking with you.

Along the way I will demonstrate various techniques including how to use oil pastel, line, scratching, sanding and scraping paint, collage.

The workshop is for people with some previous experience of painting but this is not essential, and absolute beginners are welcome.

With a few places left, if you are interested then please use the contact form below.

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Wasn’t it just? Fabulous weather over the Bank Holiday weekend and a thoroughly successful show at Spring Bank Arts Centre in New Mills.

We had a steady stream of visitors over the three days and a wide variety of artists and makers for them to meet and talk to about their work. The raffle and cake sale raised over £200 for the centre to help support this great community initiative.

So who was there and if I missed it where can I see their work?

I took a selection of work that showed my development as an artist from some early impressionistic oil paintings through mixed media and to my most recent abstract work. The next opportunity to meet me and see what I have been up to will be at Art in the Pen at Skipton on the 11th and 12th of August. I also have a limited number of tickets available for the preview evening on Friday 10th – email me if you would like one. First come first served!

Michela Griffith was exhibiting with a selection of prints from her creative photography.

Cath Dunn. Cath paints watercolour and mixed media semi-abstract work inspired by the Peak District Landscape.

Howard Levitt was also an exhibitor. Howard is a professional artist and illustrator.

Hannah Dodd was there with a selection of interesting textile work, and ceramics from

Pentimento , the creative partnership of Jaki and Catherine who are based in Glossop.

Finally Adele Kime who not only brought a fabulous selection of her jewellery for sale but was also the main organiser for the group. Thanks Adele!

We had a great time, some pretty delicious cake, great coffee (felt like an early start for one or two of us) and met some lovely folks and sold some of our work.

Support for these kinds of events is invaluable for practising artists as we get to meet and begin to build relationships with people who may become collectors of our work in the future. Even purchasing something small like a greetings card helps small business owners and artists to continue. I’m reminded of the Just a Card campaign which was started with this aim.

Thanks to all who came along and for some great conversations and feedback, and finally, hope to see you again next year.

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I am in the throes of preparing for Derbyshire Open Arts which is happening this bank holiday weekend. There are 6 new paintings upstairs laid out in my studio, with the varnish drying and I’m about to measure out a 9ft x 6ft space on the floor of my living room so I can plan the layout for how I am going to show my works.

Love of Art

This year I’ve decided to tell the story of my development as an artist in the work I plan to show. I’ve been painting consistently for about the last 8 years now. This began with a holiday workshop in the Isles of Scilly with modern impressionist painter Imogen Bone. It rekindled a love for art that had been dormant for about 10 years. The last time I had a long period of creativity was when I was running a small craft business with my first husband. After my marriage broke down there had been a long gap whilst I was off training to be a psychotherapist, and once qualified busy building up my practice. I had reached a point of recognising that whilst I do find my therapy work to be creative I began to feel like I wanted a different experience in my life and that that I wanted to express my creativity in other ways.

Self Development

After the workshop in the Scillies I started painting again in earnest. Over the last eight years I have undertaken workshops with a variety of artists, explored new techniques and materials through reading, watched a whole load of YouTube videos and pretty much designed my own programme of self development. My paintings reflect my expanding interests. I moved from painting in oils, to using acrylics, and then to mixed media. Throughout this time there has also been a movement towards firstly loosening up as an artist, and them becoming increasingly interested in abstraction.

Art2Life

All this culminated in my being introduced to art2life by Alice Sheridan and then signing up for the Creative Visionary Path (CVP) this spring with Nicholas Wilton. It’s a 12 week online programme with literally hundreds of artists from around the world all taking part. It includes weekly videos, coaching and an online community. We work through a series of principles and ideas that provide a structure to allow each artist to develop their own unique style and connect with their personal and authentic expression. It’s been a totally amazing experience that is not yet over. I have access to all the online materials for the rest of this year, and I know my development will continue. I have also made some wonderful new friends and connections through the community aspect of the programme.

Revolution

Breaking Through: one of my new paintings.

My art has undergone a revolution. I feel like I am beginning to find my authentic voice and I now I have way to express this. There is no doubt that CVP is transformational learning at its best. I have been challenged in terms of what I thought I knew about painting and what I thought I knew about myself. It’s the latter that has been so significant as I have identified how some of my self-limiting beliefs have been present in my work as an artist. The recognition of these beliefs in my work has enabled me to move beyond them to new ways of self expression. As a therapist I have already done shed loads of personal development and I can confidently say that in some ways this course has been as impactful as my original training to be a therapist.

So, the first results of this new direction will be with me this coming Bank Holiday weekend. I’m exhibiting with 7 other artists and you can find us at the Spring Bank Arts Centre, New Mills.

I’d love to meet you and show you what I’ve been up recently along with lots of my earlier work charting my journey.

Keep In Touch

If you would like to keep up to date with news and events please sign up to my mailing list. As a thank you, when you sign up you will also receive a PDF of one of my 100 Day Project collages as a downloadable print.

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Who is your inner critical voice? The voice we hear in our heads that often speaks to us in a way that we wouldn’t dream of using to another person. The part of us that criticises and drives us, sets unrealistic expectations and is then down on us when we don’t meet those expectations. The part of us that can demoralise, demotivate and derail us sometimes. Having an understanding of this part of ourselves and then some alternatives to listening to this voice can help defuse the power of this part of us. This is where I go to theory to explain something that is very common for people and which I suspect most people will experience in their lives.

As well as being a creativity coach I am a transactional analyst. Transactional analysis (TA) is a set of theories developed by Eric Berne in the 1950’s and 60’s that today are widely used in coaching, psychotherapy, education and organisations around the world. I am going to look at some straightforward theory from TA to understand the inner critic.

Structure of Personality.

Eric Berne

Berne wrote about personality structure as having three parts or ego states. An ego state is described as “a consistent pattern of feeling and experience directly related to a corresponding consistent pattern of behaviour”. Another way to think about this is that our experience is organised into three parts. Each of these parts has a recognisable pattern of thinking and feeling with corresponding behaviour. The three ego states are named Parent, Adult and Child.

I began this post by talking about the inner critic, that inner voice which so often has unrealistic expectations and criticism. I identify this part of us with the Parent ego state. Before I go on to look at this in more depth I will summarise Adult and Child.

Child Ego State

The Child ego state, can be described as thoughts, feelings and behaviours replayed from childhood. Experiences organised from when we were children. Here’s a simple example.

You are at school maybe 4 or 5 years old. The teacher asks a question, you think you know the answer so you put up your hand. The teacher asks for your response, which, when you give your answer, is wrong. As you get it wrong someone at the back of the class sniggers, and you feel really embarrassed at not knowing the correct answer. You think and maybe decide “it’s not a good idea to answer questions in case you get it wrong.”

Thirty years later you are attending a one day training course as part of your job. The trainer asks a question, you answer and get it wrong and in that moment you revisit the experience you had when you were 4 and answered incorrectly in class, you feel the same embarrassment and again think, “it’s not good idea to answer questions. ”

Adult Ego State

When we are in our Adult ego state we are using thinking, feeling and behaviour in response to the “here and now”. Being in my Adult ego state means that I am in the present, fully aware and contact with myself so able to respond to a situations using my capacity as an adult for solving problems, reality testing situations, being honest, direct and open about what I am thinking and feeling and being spontaneous, creative and vulnerable.

Problem Solving

I am going to use the example I gave to illustrate Child ego state as a way of demonstrating what I mean by a here and now response in Adult ego state. In the example of getting an answer wrong in a training course, the Adult response might be to feel ok about not knowing an answer and then to reflect on what you have not understood and what additional information might needed to give the correct answer. So I am engaging my problem-solving skills as an adult to solve the “problem” of not knowing an answer.

Parent Ego State

PAC Model

The Parent ego state is a collection of thoughts, feelings and behaviours that are “taken in” or copied from significant adults during childhood and with the perception of a child. Significant adults can mean our parents, or primary caregivers. It can also mean aunts, uncles, grandparents, brothers, sisters, teachers and even society at large. It is an external experience where we have observed someone else’s responses to a situation – their thinking, feeling and behaviour and we have “taken that experience in” so it then becomes part of how we respond in a similar situation.

Here’s an example of how this might work. You are five years old going away on a family holiday. As you are driving down the motorway someone cuts in front of your Dad, who is driving. He swears and shouts, gesturing fiercely at the driver responsible. Thirty years later you are driving on the motorway and someone cuts in front of you. You swear, shout and gesture fiercely. Over time as we grow we internalise a whole host of experiences, some positive and some negative and together these form the Parent ego state. So, the our critical inner voice is the expression internally of the negative parts of the Parent ego state.

Here are some of the reasons why is this part of ourselves so critical and harsh.

Firstly experiences are taken in when we are young and with the perception of a young child. For example, as a child we don’t fully understand the nuances of adult communication.

We also simplify and generalise from individual experiences. Here’s an example. A parent or caregiver is having an important conversation on the telephone. You are 6 years old and jumping down the stairs singing a nursery rhyme. The parent or caregiver turns to you, saying crossly “don’t shout and jump while I’m on the phone” But you hear this as “Shouting is bad.”

The Parent ego state is actually a mixture of many experiences with parental figures and messages from the environment.

Finally a large part of Parent is about protecting us when we feel vulnerable in some way or another. For example the critical inner voice that sets high expectations may be protecting against the possibility of criticism or rejection from others.

So, how does this help us with our inner critic?

Well what this says to me is that when I am in my Parent ego state I am likely to be responding to a situation or stimulus using thoughts, feelings and behaviours from the past and that I have taken in from someone else as I perceived them at that time. Therefore this response may not be relevant or appropriate to the present. I may want to revisit some of the messages and experiences I have taken in and up date them with how I think, feel and want to behave. One way you might like to do this is to make a list of some of the sayings and slogans that were common in your family and that you find yourself saying to yourself. An example might be when something bad happens “you’ve just got to get on with haven’t you.” Write them all out and then see if you think they are true for you today. If not update them with something more relevant and supportive. So in the example given above I would update that to ” when bad things happen in life it’s good to seek support.” Take what is useful and helpful ignore the rest.

If I am in my Parent ego state I’m not using all of my Adult to problem solve and reality test. I may not be seeing the situation as it really is. Recognising this is the first step to moving into a more Adult place and regaining all of our Adult resources to problem solve and support ourselves.

Another way to deal with the inner critic is to thank that part of self for it’s positive intention – even though impact is different from intention. Then turn the volume down on the voice, you might even want to visualise a large volume dial and imagine it being turned to reduce the sound.

These are few suggestions how to deal with you inner critic – have you any more? I’d love to hear from you.

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If you are choosing someone to work with as your coach it is important to find someone where you have the “right chemistry.” Chances are you will be talking about areas of your life where things might not have gone so well, and sharing some of your most important hopes, aspirations and goals. Finding someone that you click with, you feel comfortable with and in whose expertise you have confidence is likely to be pretty important in making the relationship, and the work, a success.

Here’s a few thoughts from me on how my unique blend of experience and expertise might be helpful to you in achieving your artistic goals.

Achieving Goals

I am a practising and exhibiting artist. I am engaged in my own ongoing process of artistic development. I know what it’s like to go from being an absolute beginner to wanting to show work and how to do this. This includes the practical steps of finding suitable events and venues, deciding what work to show and how to show it. With over 15 year experience as a psychotherapist I have in-depth knowledge in how to work with people psychologically. In coaching this means I’m working with you to look at what you want now, how your thinking and behaviour may be helpful or counter productive and looking to facilitate you in achieving your goals. And you can have confidence that I will recognise quickly if something is deeper than coaching and refer you on to someone who can help.

Transactional Analysis

PAC Model

I bring 15 years experience of working with people in the field of personal development. I know about how to support myself in being effective as coach. For example I have my own coaching supervision where I consult with a colleague so that I’m well supported to help you.

I have a wide range of models and tools to draw on to help you achieve your outcomes. the main model I use is transactional analysis which is widely used in organisational development, coaching. education and psychotherapy.

Running a Business

My business experience comes from having worked in organisations in sales and marketing for over 15 years and running my own businesses for the last 15 years. Not only do I understand the theory and principles of marketing I have had lots of practice putting them to work for myself!

I’m flexible in my approach and our sessions can be either face to face or over Zoom depending on where you are based. You can send me images of your work and we can discuss them, you might want to focus on your inner critic or how to loosen up in your work.. You may wish to move from representational to abstract painting. Or, you might want to begin selling your work and are not sure how to set up. These are just a few examples of some of the areas we might focus on.

So, what next? I offer a free 20 minute discussion by phone or online so that we can see if we “click.” If that works then you have two options. I offer individual sessions or in blocks of four or six. Contact me to discuss options and costs.

I’ll finish by quoting Picasso.

“Every child is an artist. The the problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.”

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First Steps in Art is a one day art workshop for absolute beginners to art. Firstly after all the snow we had been having we were lucky with the weather. No snow and everyone had a relatively easy journey. Six people assembled on a Friday in Buxton to take their first steps into learning about art. Several people in the group were completely new to painting and drawing whilst others had some experience but wanted a chance to explore and play with materials and find out more.

After a taking a little time to introduce ourselves we quickly got down to putting paint to paper and began the day with a short briefing on the materials.

Using Watercolour and Oil Pastel

Collage

The first exercise was using watercolour, wax crayon and wax pastel. Do you remember as a child making rubbings using wax crayons of interesting surfaces. Well that is exactly what we did. Our venue, The Green Man Gallery is an old building and there are lots of interesting nooks and crannies to explore with a variety of surface textures to play with. This was part of the first exercise – using the rubbings and making collage papers to use later in the day. We all made an abstract piece and then a collage before lunch.

Lunch was an opportunity to see something of the town. Buxton is a place with lots of history and an excellent range and choice of places to eat and drink. there are cafes within walking and a deli just up the road from the gallery. And of course you can always bring your own food as the gallery has a large space on the ground floor where you can buy a coffee and sit and relax.

Acrylic Paint

The afternoon was mostly given over to looking at acrylic paint. Painting on wooden board is interesting as the hard surface allows for a wide variety of techniques to be used and because it is pretty robust you can scratch and scrape into the paint as it begins to dry.

Acrylic on board

After cleaning and clearing up we gathered to reflect on the day. All delegates rated the teaching style as excellent or good and here are some of the comments from the participants.

Delegate Feedback

I would definitely attend another class.

Lin, you are enthusiastic and supportive, this helped my creative process and willingness to use the various materials. the workshop activities were enjoyable and fun. Thank you.

Great day,enjoyed having the time to explore the different media and learn some new techniques.

Enjoyable day. Thank you.

Perhaps you’ve been thinking about this course for a while? Not sure if it was for you? I hope this information and feedback lets you know a little more about what to expect.

The next date is Friday 28th September and there are still some paces left. Contact me to reserve your place and come and play with paint for the day.

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There’s no doubt that we can absolutely lose ourselves when we are painting. The experience of creating can be so compelling and interesting that we lose track of time completely. And, while its great to be so involved in something I also think that sometimes we need to stop, give ourselves a break to come back refreshed with renewed energy.

Self awareness in Art

My personal experience of painting has definitely been informed by my experience of training to be a psychotherapist. In that training self-awareness, understanding thinking and feeling, and noticing what’s going on in my physical state has been very significant in my work in helping people.

It has also been really important to me as an artist where what’s going on in me is just as important as the technical understanding of things like colour, value and composition.

Why is this important in knowing when its time to stop?

What I’ve been noticing are certain states of mind that when I pay attention help me to know when to take a break.

Intuition to Mindlessness

I notice a shift from painting spontaneously and intuitively with a positive energy to a kind of mindless, frustrated applying of paint that gets repetitive and unhelpful with an underlying tiredness.

It isn’t a definite bold move or something considered but a kind of “I don’t know where this is going but I’m not able to stop” process. If this starts happening then you need to stop.

Tightening up in Painting

You’ve stopped standing back to look at the work and get focused in on small finicky details. Using small brushes, messing with the details. Going over and over. You need to stop.

You’ve stopped looking at the clock, haven’t eaten or had a drink for a few hours. You’ve simply been at it too long without a break. You feel tired and your energy is dipping yet you keep going. You need to stop.

Critical Inner Voice

You start listening to the inner critical voice that is telling you the work is no good. You need to stop.

Breaktime

I think all of these are sign that our creativity has gone for a walk and that we need to take a break whether is it for a sit down with a cuppa, a walk in the fresh air or doing something different. The break gives us time to refresh, come back with renewed energy and having found our creativity again.

Are there any other experiences you have had that tell you it’s time for a break? Or, what are your strategies to renew your energy? I’d love to hear from you.